St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-04-09
"HYLOTOMUS PILEATUS:"
Or, the Black Woodpecker, as
Found "at Home"
The Advantages Of Takiag "Bird Notes"-
His Snaky Tongue and Eye-Ths
W0OdPecker ssOn His Muscle"
An Intruder.

for the greatest as well as the simplest
minds of all time. solomon and Homer
and Chaucer and Shakespeare, those
marvellous detectives of natures secrets,
were as tireless in their observations rs
Darwin and Wallace have been. The
aesthetic side of bird study is not less
fascinating than the scientific side, even
to intensely practical persons, and it
may be doubted whether any field OF
investigation can afford deeper in
sight into the mystery Of life than that
which covers the history-so far as we
have it-of bird development from both
points of view. Even geology and anat-
Omy borrow q charm from their connec-
ton with this stream of melody and this
flash of color which come along with the
birds from a time too remote to be told
by any calendar. 1t would not be hard
TO find great many people who would
agree with John Rnskin in hurting
anathemas at those dry-as-dust special
lists who view all things. animate and
inanimate, rs just so many words in a
catalogue of species or specimens; but
it is very rare indeed that an intelligent
person fails to feel the fascination of a
free and liberal study of nature. Mere
Ornithology is pleasing only to the
specialist, but untrammeled bird-study
is quite a different thing. and has. as I
have said. captivated the great minds
Of all ages. Why should it not. Next
to the cities and man, what can COM
pare with the woods and the birds?
Alexander Selkirk might well ask:
o Solitude, where are the charms
That sages have seen in thy face!
But there can be no solitude for the
truly contemplative mind where birds
are. Such songs rs the mocking bird
sings are at least fairly next to those
Of Gerster and Patti. I should find even
the gulf coast hard to endure for any
great while if the birds were all ban
ished from it. With the memory Of
hundreds of lonely but not lonesome
tramps in the gulf coast woods for
years past still fresh in my mind, it is
not unnatural that should speak with
some enthusiasm on the subject Of birds.
Nowhere in the world is there . country
so favorably situated for showing (in
the proper seasons) the washing back
and forth Of avian tides of migration as
is this coast and its hilly background
from St. Mark to New Orleans. So,
too. l may add that no region in
America equals it for the number and
variety of its resident birds. True
enough. the negro and the cheap shot
gun are doing all they can to kill every
thing that has wings "a work in which
they are ably assisted by the agents of
the birtl-fanciers and plume gatherers),
but have always been able to find
some spots where the beautiful wild
things appear to have been left to enjoy |
their immemorial haunts without fear |
OF the pot or dread of the women's bon
nets These spots are to-day Just IS |
wild and lonely as they were when |
Audubon first began his wonderful |!
work. and they still have in them Just
as much that is new and strange. No
genuine naturalist can fail to be fas-
cinated the moment he reaches one of /
them. and the effect is quite a. strong
on the senses ofthe artist know one
place. scarcely q mile distant from the
Louisville and Nashville railroad track.
and not fifty miles from New Orleans,
where in less than three hours I filed a
book with sketches and notes which. to
look 1t now, call up the most delightful
recollections and suggest . myriad of
thoughts As fresh and fragrant and full Of
music and color As the spots themselves.
There is . long. narrow pond with wood
Of live oaks on each side. . swamp It ONE
end. and pine forest at the other. No
clearing is in sight, no paths cross it,
no cattle Craze there. no negro comes
with his cheap shotgun. Hound itearly
in spring. when the northward-movinR
song birds had Just reached it for q short
sojourn, and when the resident species
were fairly beginning to dream Of nest
building. All the elements were present
for = successful study Of bird-life:
perfect weather, all nature undisturbed.
and every grove rustling with wings
and melodious with songs. I had a
brisk walk from little station ON the
railroad. and as I entered the wood on
the south of the pond I was too intent
upon wiping the perspiration from INV
face to note the presence Of q pair Of
lIack Woodpecker8 (Hwlokornas s;zaa.